Mahathir, K-pop stars BTS and India’s LGBT ‘beacons of hope’: Asia’s most influential make Time’s annual list

Time Magazine named an award-winning Asian actress, Malaysia’s resurgent political “warhorse” and K-pop megastars among this year’s 100 most influential people.

Now in its 16th year, the Time 100 Most Influential People 2019 list categorises listees as a pioneer, artist, leader, icon or a titan, and is based on both readers’ votes and editors picks. And despite there being a strong Asia presence on this year’s list, some say there are a few notable absentees.